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“The philosophical theory, logic, is the theory of….” WIlliam trailed off, looking up from his neatly written page of notes and to the duo-dyed blonde and black haired boy who was using a reach extender to place his books out of order. “Ronald?”
At the sound of his name, Ronald dropped the tool and turned back to William. “What? What do I put?” Ronald maneuvered himself from hanging off of the bed to facing him on his side.
“Ronald,” William sighed, pushing up his glasses. “—you said that logic was quote “a bunch of morals that society upholds” end quote.”
“Uh huuh….” Ronald nodded slowly.
“You mixed up the theory of ethics and logic.” William deadpanned at him,
“Ah c’mon, a common mistake! What ‘bout the rest of ‘em?” Ronald idly began rolling and folding a corner of William’s textbook, prompting the older of the two to smack his hand away with his pen, rightfully earning a mature ‘oww!’ from him.
“Well you also mixed up the definitions of the principle of noncontradiction and the principle of the excluded middle.”
“Bah! Why’re there so many principles? Aren’t they all made from some Greek guy!?”
“Those were both made by Aristotle, Ronald.”
“There y’ go! Just proved my point there!” Ronald threw his arms up on the air, flopping down onto his back.
William let out another sigh. He knew Ronald was smarter than to make such obvious mistakes and come up with dumb excuses to bullshit an answer on a test.
He closed his notebook and textbook up, neatly placing it off on his nightstand with his pen set on top before he turned back to the other boy splayed out in front of him. “Ronald, may I propose something that may be upsetting for you to hear?”
Ronald perks up in interest, moving to sit up properly. “Well…that depends.”
“On what?”
“I dunno, I jus’ said that.” Ronald shrugs sheepishly, shuffling closer to William while he’s at it. “G’ahead!” He eggs William on with a circle motion of his hands.
William levels Ronald with a serious look in his eyes. “Well then, I propose that you are deliberately failing all of your classes in the result that you’ll be held back a year.”
Ronald gave him a startled look, shaking his head and sputtering about. “Get outta here! W-wh-what reason do I have t’a be doin’ all that!?”
“You tell me Ronald.”
“Well I’m not so there’s nothin’ to tell y’!” Ronald laughs, so obviously forced and fake, it was clear he was feeling the pressure of William’s steel cold gaze.
“You say that but you’re not necessarily one to face things.” William tilts his head, keeping his gaze tight with the other boy.
“Wha -when have I, —what am I not facing??”
“The future.” William answered simply.
Ronald snorted out a laugh. “Well, whether y’ want it to or not the future’s gonna come, right?”
William sighed heavily, lifting up his glasses briefly to pinch at the bridge of his nose. “Honestly.” William breathes out sharply. “You always run yourself down in these moments.”
“I’m no-I’m not running myself down, Will!” Ronald furrows his eyebrows, keeping that strained smile forcefully spread across his lips. “Why would I be running myself down? Because of tha way I dress?” He gestured down to the bright yellow t-shirt pressed tightly to his torso under a pair of suspenders making their way up from his (extremely tight) pair of leather pants. “Because, what? I can laugh at myself —thas called a sense a’ humor! Y’ should get one, they’re nice!” Ronald grins, raising up both of his brows.
William could do nothing but roll his eyes, scoffing to hide the exasperated smile threatening to take over his face. He looked back at Ronald, looking more tired than anything. “Tell me this then. What are we going to do next year?”
“Well, according to y’, I’ll be repeatin’ senior year-“
“Ronald, I’m serious!” William slumped in annoyance. “In the last eight years not a day has passed us by where I haven’t talked to you for a minimum of 20 times per day.”
It was true. Ever since they met when they were kids, Ronald’s made it a point to stick to him. Like a rash. William had no choice but to deal with the annoying kid who always whined at him to put down his books and play with him. He finally allowed himself to see Ronald as a friend when entering middle school, realizing that the fully blonde haired boy he was back then was his only friend.
“What can I say? M’just devoted.” Ronald shrugs, that grin now turned crooked and almost dopey.
“Whatever you say…” William sighed, resting a prominent cheekbone on the backs of his knuckles. “I know I get…frustrated at times but I’d rather that than not talking to you at all.”
Somehow their faces had gotten closer than it was before. If Ronald really wanted to, he could feign losing his balance and kissing the other boy at this angle. Their noses were mere centimeters away from touching!
“Yeah, of course I know that.” Ronald chuckles breathlessly, bringing his knuckle up to knock his glasses back into place.
For the first time that evening, William smiled. It was a barely noticeable tilt in his lips kinda smile, easily missable really. Not to Ronald though; years of watching, taking in every subtle shift in the meticulously crafted stone mask of William T. Spears had done itself wonders in noticing the smallest of changes in his facial expressions.
Unfortunately, William leans back and it took every ounce of self control in Ronald’s body not to helplessly follow after him. “I truly hope more people get to know the sweet and kind-hearted person you are, Ronald.”
Ronald swallowed nervously, biting his lip and looking away for a second. Compliments were rare from William, much less something catered to his own person. It made this whole thing all the more nerve wracking for his poor little heart. “Well, seems like y’re the only one who does right now, darlin’.”
Ronald flashes him the charming smile he knows gets the girls at school swooning, yet annoyingly it never seems to work on the one person he’s actually got his eyes set on.
Ronald eyes flicker down to William’s chapped lips for a sec, wondering how the direction this conversation would lead to if he just leaned forward and—
“Alright, I’m gonna get something to drink, then we should really get back to studying, Ronald. No more distractions.” Ronald moves his eyes up to meet the stern gaze William currently has set on him.
“Right, no distractions, ai aye boss!” He puts up a two finger salute, winking because he didn’t really think about what he was doing so his body just sorta did that on its own. It was too late to take it back though.
Lucky for him, William just cleared his throat and chose not to acknowledge it. “Good. Well, what would you like to drink?”
“Ahh, beer, whiskey, juice box, whatever y’ got!” Ronald shoots William that smile again, this time without the wink muscle memorized into his body.
William gave him an exasperated look before standing up. “Well then I’ll be back.”
William walks out of his room yet Ronald’s gaze couldn’t help but trail after him until he was, inevitably, out of the room and heading downstairs.
Ronald let out a pained wince and slowly flopped down onto the bed. While he was out of sight, William wasn’t quite out of his mind.
“Oh god.” Ronald forced the words out of his throat.
“I love this man.” He sighed out in realization, although this was a revelation Ronald made years ago. “I love this man and I have to tell ‘im.” Ronald moved his forearms up and down the bed every other syllable he uttered.
This fact had been prevalent in the forefront of Ronald’s mind for the past, say, four years or so. At first Ronald thought he just cared so deeply about his best friend that he couldn’t go a day without passing by his house on his bike or continuously ring his home phone a few times in the afternoon until he got an answer.
But then Ronald began to think about William in the way he should have been thinking about the endless sea of girls constantly asking him out and flirting with him. He thought holding William’s cold hand and cuddling up against his cold body with the excuse that his own body (that naturally runs warm) can heat him up. He thinks about the elation he feels whenever he makes William laugh or smile, and how only he was able to bring those sights out so naturally. And then he thinks about kissing William, on the lips dare he admit, and all of a sudden Ronald’s whole world had been flipped upside down with the new knowledge that he was in love with his best friend.
At first Ronald was content with just keeping these feelings for himself. While he never saw William had an interest in girls the way boys their age usually did, he also never showed any interest in dating, period. That didn’t mean he liked men, heaven forbid he liked Ronald of all people.
But as the years go by and Ronald watches William mature into the handsome, tall man that was in front of him just a couple of seconds ago, he finds it harder and harder to keep his feelings in. Just a moment ago he was so close to just bursting his cap and telling the guy he was madly in love with him. He so desperately wanted to just let William know of his feelings but….
“If he laughs, he laughs!” He laughed nervously. “Oh, but he does have a really cute laugh….” Ronald trailed off, thinking back to the times he had forced out that surprised, unexpected laugh William had hid from him for so long when they were kids. It was always a short lived laugh but it only left him wanting more.
“No, Ron, stay on track!” Ronald gripped the sides of his hair before ruffling them out in frustration. “Arghh, and if he doesn't love me back then he doesn't love me back!…but if I don’t know…” He sighed, scenarios flashed through his mind of William rejecting him.
He would reject him in that cold manner of his, he’d probably be too weirded out by Ronald’s feelings for him and then they would stop talking. That eight year streak he had of talking to William everyday of his life would break and soon one day would turn into a week, a week would turn into a month, and a month—
Nooo, nonono, no!
Ronald slid his fingers under his glasses, pushing them up out of the way. “Ooooh but I love him too much….” He whines slowly before pulling his hands away from his face, leaving his glasses lying crookedly on the base of his forehead.
Without looking, Ronald extends his hand out to the side for the pen William used to wack his hand earlier. Grabbing it and tightly gripping out between his fingers, Ronald brought the clicky-end of the pen up to his mouth.
He took a sharp breath in, the words got stuck in his throat for a second but he pushed on and they began flowing out like his never ending love for his nerdy best friend.
“I don’t care if Monday’s blue.” Ronald began to sing before quickly cupping his hands over his mouth and whisper-cheering an impression of a crowd going wild.
“Thank you, thank you —Tuesday’s grey and Wednesday too.” Ronald continued to sing, quickly pushing his glasses back down and shifting himself off the bed.
“We got a wonderful crowd here guys.” He clears his throat before continuing his performance.
“Thursday, I don’t care about you—“ Ronald was interrupted by a whimpering sound coming from the old whippet laying on the alcove underneath the window.
He jutted his bottom lip out, reaching out to the dog peering up at him through shiny eyes. “Ooh, you’re too pretty to cry, Precious.” Ronald scratched behind Precious’s ears, prompting her to let out a happy yelp before settling back down.
Ronald turned around, grabbing a plain black scarf William had hung up and whipping it around his neck. “It’s Friday, I’m in love.”
From downstairs, William’s ears perked up at the half assed performance Ronald was putting on.
“Monday, you can fall apart.” Closing the fridge door behind him, he breathed out a chuckle, shaking his head. Was he really that bored that he resorted to singing alone in his bedroom?
“Tuesday, Wednesday, break my heart.” Ronald stopped in front of William's desk, quickly snatching a compact mirror lying around.
Opening it, Ronald was met with the pitiful sight of himself; glasses uneven on the bridge of his nose, hair a mess of curls, and a scarf thrown sloppily around his shoulders. “Ugh…he’s gonna laugh.” He sighs, snapping the mirror shut. “Can I even blame ‘im?”
At that moment, William came back into the room, bearing a water bottle and a grape juice box in his hands. “Here, Ronal-“
“Oh shit,” Ronald was quick to throw the mirror down on the desk and quickly removed the scarf from his neck as he approached William. “‘Ey! Ahh, I’m sorry Will but I gotta to dip out on y’”
William shot him a concerned and bewildered look, raising his eyebrows promptly. “And what happened to studying for your test-“
“Ah, yeah, that!” Ronald quickly stuffed his notebook and papers into his bag and slung it over his shoulder, stuffing his leather jacket through the straps as well. “See, I appreciate y’ for helping, Will, but it’s not gonna be authentically my work. It’ll be total bull!” Ronald forced out a laugh, walking towards William.
“Well, I guess I’ll see y’ tomorrow!” Ronald slung the scar over William’s neck, grabbing onto the other end in order to tug William down and boldly place a chaste kiss on the apples of his cheek.
In order to keep William from having the time to comprehend what the hell he just did and question him for it, Ronald quickly took the juice box from his hand and walked backwards towards the doorway.
“Don’t drink an’ drive kids!” Ronald waves his juice box around, taking in the shocked (and, dare he day, slightly flustered?) expression on William’s face. “That’s why I ride a bike!”
Just as Williams was about to open his mouth to speak, Ronald swung the door open, and just as fast as he did that, he closed the door behind him before sprinting down the stairs and soon enough he was out of William’s house.
Inside, William was still staring at the door that had been essentially slammed in his face. He looked down at the scarf that was given to him out of nowhere.
He sighed, taking the scarf off to put it back where it previously was and give him somewhat of a distraction from his terribly burning face.